Sharpen your skates: The ice rink at Empire State Plaza will be open to the public as soon as later this month.

It's still free to skate in the shadow of the Capitol and The Egg, said Heather Groll, a spokeswoman for the Office of General Services. Those without their own skates can rent them — $4 for adults, $3 for kids — and glide around from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

The rental fee will be waived on Fridays, Groll said, as a result of a sponsorship agreement with the Hannaford supermarket chain. Free skating clinics on most Saturday afternoons will be sponsored by Blue Shield of Northeastern New York. And unlike last year, the rental counter, lockers and snack bar will be in a pavilion near the ice rather than deep within the plaza.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo reopened the rink last year after it was closed for two years due to state budget constraints.

It's unclear exactly when the skating will begin. Groll said the ice will be formed sometime in the next few weeks, weather permitting.

She hopes it will be ready in time for the formal holiday tree-lighting ceremony on Dec. 2.